The Virginia women's lacrosse team celebrated Senior Night Wednesday evening with a 13-9 victory over the George Mason Patriots (7-5) at Klöckner Stadium.
The night began with a commemoration of the team's seven seniors, and the excitement continued into the start of the game as the No. 3 Cavaliers stormed out to an early lead. Scoring five unanswered goals in the first five minutes of the game, their strong momentum lasted for the entire first half. They won 21 draw controls on the night, which was enough to tie a school record, while senior captain Tyler Leachman recorded her 100th career draw control.
Standout freshman Blair Weymouth scored two of her three goals in the first half and recorded an assist. Similarly, junior Jess Wasilewski put two of her three points on the board in the Cavalier's first-half barrage. Leachman and senior captain Nikki Lieb also made their presence known on what may have been their last game at Klöckner. Leachman tallied two goals and two assists, while Lieb scored one goal and assisted Leachman once.
"I was really excited with our first half," Virginia coach Julie Myers said. "I think people worked hard and connected on the field. There was great teamwork all over the place, and everyone was able to rotate in and really contribute to the overall performance."
However, in the locker room during halftime, the Patriots made some key changes to their gameplan that were immediately evident in the second half. George Mason's offense was determined to be a factor in the game, aggressively driving to score the first three goals of the half. They would go on to score a total of six second-half goals, while holding Virginia to only three.
"They made some adjustments; they switched their defense up on us and caught us a little off guard," Leachman said. "I think they started taking the ball to the goal a little more, being more aggressive, and we lost our focus."
Despite the poor second-half performance, Virginia's lead was large enough that they were able to come out with a win.
"The second half was definitely a little disappointing," Myers said. "But our highs were high and then our lows were enough to overcome."
George Mason has given Virginia trouble in the past, as the Cavaliers were only able to come away with a 12-7 victory in last year's match.
The Cavaliers received solid performances from all the seniors on their special night, with Leachman leading the team by recording two goals and four assists. Lieb had a tremendous game as well, scoring twice with one assist. Senior captain Meredith Lazarus, as well as Kim Connors and Julie Hauser, turned in a solid performance. Finally, senior Chelsea Metz, who has battled for time during her four seasons on the team, was able to contribute significantly during what may be her final home game.
"This senior class has really created so many successful games and stories. It's nice for them," Myers said.
The Cavaliers, who improved their record to 12-2, will now prepare to play their next game this Friday in Blacksburg against in-state rival Virginia Tech.
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